Social media ruining marriages

BEIJING: While social media was designed to bring people together, it can sometimes drive them apart. Social media could be the reason why more Chinese people are switching their status from married to single, according to experts.

A report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in June found 3.637 million couples divorced in 2014, up by 3.9 percent from the previous year. Statistics from the ministry show the country has been witnessing a continuous rise in divorce since 2002.

Su, a white collar worker from Shanghai, was stunned and furious after discovering her husband’s secret romances online.

“I found he had viewed dating websites after looking through the search history on his computer,” she said.

Exploring further, she discovered her husband had been in touch with several “girlfriends” on different social networks. Some relationships were more than a decade old, long before they got married.

“Since we have a child, I will not consider divorcing. But our relationship is dead,” she said.

One man, who requested anonymity, said he uses social networks to look for dates while on business trips.

“Once I took an intimate picture with my temporary girlfriend and it was discovered by my wife,” he said, “she is still angry with me and I don’ t know what will happen to our marriage.”